Treasure Trove.

I am sitting right now with a treasure on my lap.  A priceless treasure that means more to me than anything you could put a price tag on.  Something that brings a smile, contemplation, satisfaction.  It is on loan to me.  It is not my treasure and I did not work for it.  Someone else put the time into creating this work. Someone put their years into it and it wears some of the remnants of their hard work.  This is a treasure that I will soak up.  That I will try to replicate and if I am lucky my children will benefit from as well.

This is one half of my Grandmother’s recipe books.  It’s actually the second half, but I wanted to start with Eggs instead of Appetizers because, well, we love eggs. Almost all of the recipes are on index cards….in my Grandmother’s handwriting.  I have been sitting here perusing them for awhile now and know how many of these I may copy because I don’t just want the recipes, I want the same thing she looked at while she cooked, I want her beautiful handwriting to be what I look at when I am cooking.  I am truly rich today.

Food Revolution Tonight

****Don’t forget Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution two-hour episode tonight at 8pm EST on ABC.  Having watched the sneak peek episode early, would love to have everyone else’s feedback on the show!  Also, just found out he’s going to be on Oprah today, Friday, March 26th, should be better than that Letterman fiasco.

dilly.

Here dilly, dilly.  A fresh bunch from the grocery.  Fresh dill makes things so much better.  And it made Ems love green beans.  Next winter, herb garden inside.

“Eat foods made from ingredients that you can picture in their raw state or growing in nature”.

Michael Pollan’s Food Rule # 14

Ever seen that elusive Dorito plant?

Weekend=Food

Bought Michael Pollan’s “Food Rules”.  Bought the Christmas issue of Jamie Oliver’s magazine.  Watched River Cottage. Bumped into my Mom four times in the grocery, ate her magnificent dinner.  Wanted her salad dressing recipe, there is no recipe, this and that.    Bought four pomegranates and froze the seeds of two.  Went to the farm but no one was home.  Cleaned my refrigerator, organized my cupboards.  Mopped my floor after a container of extra-dark cocoa fell and exploded all over the floor.  Emptied the compost, then decided to take a walk.  Inhaled fresh air for once.

Remembered that I gave up gardening last summer.  Dreamed again of planting lettuces, of carrots and beans….dreamed of rows of veggies and herbs, dreamed of a bearded, shaggy haired man reaching across the rows with dirty hands, dreamed of warm sunshine and green shoots.  Went inside and started a stew, from scratch.  No recipe.  This and that.

Made twisty rolls with Boo, watched the bread rise, apparently not enough.  Fun twists looked a bit like dog poo piles and tasted like pretzels, with poppy seeds….or poopy seeds.  Made last minute brownies with Ems.  Dark chocolate brownies, with a small glass of milk.  Dished up stew and rolls and brownies to take next door.

I love food.  There is no denying it.

Life is too short to not have good food, a good wine.

The kitchen is clean, closed for the evening.

A good weekend.

“AVOID FOOD PRODUCTS CONTAINING INGREDIENTS THAT A THIRD-GRADER CANNOT PRONOUNCE”

–Michael Pollan, Food Rules

Oh! Pioneer

You read Pioneer Woman already, don’t you?  Tell me you read Pioneer Woman?  I had, but then hadn’t for awhile.  Then I realized her cookbook (drool, swoon) had just come out.  Just a few days before I visited and I wanted it, oh I wanted it, but I’m trying to control my spending and acquiring, and the cookbook bookcase is full, yes, you read that right cookbook bookcase.

But then I walked into the library, I’m trying to find a new book to rival the goodness of the last one and I breeze by the NEW BOOKS section and there it is, brand spanking new, on the shelf staring out at me:

 

You know what I love…..

I love the not so simple simple life.  I love recipes made from the heart.  I love some really, really good cattle pictures, for real.  And I love when someone can start a blog, become famous and still not apologize and still seem 100% real deal.  I love they took a bajillion photos of her for the cover and she had her hubby take this one of her in her real kitchen.

You know what I think….

I think there must be a real deal cowboy out there who’s looking for a girl to cook sweet meals and raise wild children?  Right?  Cattle are optional, goats are a necessity.

 

 

School Lunch Redo

Ems and I were standing in line at the checkout at the grocery store.  I was ogling Southern Living and the gorgeous pumpkin pie on the cover, when Ems said to me.

“Mommy, I don’t understand why they can’t change school lunches.  I mean why can’t they make them like a lunch you pack me.  You could have one section where you pick your sandwich and it could be peanut butter and jelly, or turkey or ham or chicken salad, then you could pick a fruit.  They could have apples here and bananas or pears next to them.  And then down there on the end they could have the chips and stuff for a snack.  It would be so much better”.

She has a major point.  Why can’t they change school lunches?  I know they probably get like $0.23 to feed each child and so much of our food is caught up in a corporate nightmare, but really.  Can the school board and the county and the state and even our Federal government not have the wisdom of an eight year old.

It’s something I’ve considered over the last year or two.  Not so much for my kids.  I pack their lunches everyday.  That way they get fresh fruit and organic milk, but what about the other children.  The ones who we deem it so important that they get a meal every morning that we feed them donuts, honeybuns and Pigglesticks (pankcake wrapped sausage, for those not in the know).  Perhaps some of these kids wouldn’t get a breakfast at all, I get that  point.  Our school is a Title 1 school meaning that there is a high poverty level.  It’s based on the percentage of children who qualify for free or reduced lunches.

And I realize that children aren’t asking for fresh pears and chicken salad with apples and almonds.  I’ve watched Jamie’s School Dinners enough to know this.  They want cheeseburgers and chicken nuggets because that’s what they are used to.  I’ve seen the carts of those around me in the grocery.  I’ve seen the lines at McDonalds and I’ve also seen Food Inc, so I realize it’s not always easy for those on a limited income to afford fresh, wholesome food.

Ack, it’s a giant mess of a problem.  I just thought it was an interesting thought coming from my daughter and has jarred my noggin enough to want me to check into it a bit further.  In the meantime, she’s  good to go.  Chicken salad sandwiches and fresh pears.

Now if only I could get Boo on the bandwagon……..

Apples.

From the orchard.

Applesauce beginning.

Good partners:  Apples & Lemons

Apple Puff Pancake:  Did the super puff????   Was dee-lish though.

See the tablecloth, my Grandmom made it for me, Saturday afternoon!

Pie on the Fly:  Yes, that is a Pet-Ritz frozen crust, but made up for it with the Oat & Honey, Dried Berries, Walnut & Brown Sugar topping.

No idea, how much of each I used, as usual.

It was cold and rainy all weekend…..so I baked.

Organized Living: The Meal Plan

Our dinners fell by the wayside this week.  In fact, it was just quite pitiful.  One thing I am in the process of becoming is Organized.  Now, this is not easy for me.  Getting organized is one thing, staying organized is another.  Meal planning for me is a MUST, when I don’t, well things like tonight happen.

I haven’t been to the farm or the grocery since last weekend prior.  The refrigerator looks like Old Mother Hubbard’s cupboard.  I had to work late to do an orientation presentation and therefore there was no time to stop by the grocery and get anything.  This is when the Hamburger Helper happened.

So, I read  D’s Starbucks blog confession and Michelle’s Pop Tart blog confession and well, okay here is mine.  We ate Hamburger Helper for dinner tonight…..and it was horrendous, but okay in the end.

Now, I’m standing in the kitchen over the stove with the box from the nether reaches of the cupboards (remember I organized them on vacation).  I’m trying not to think how really, really badly this breaks the Michael Pollan rule (no more than 5 ingredients).  I’m trying to think how absolutely ridiculous it seems to be stirring organic, grass fed, local beef and fresh local butter into a pan that will become Hamburger Helper.  Now, it’s not seeming too bad, I mean it’s dehydrated potatoes for God’s sake until we get to the “flavor packet”.  I mix the “cheese” with my (organic milk) and I just stop and stare that this cannot possibly be a viable color, I mean not unless the mix was made from marigolds because that color orange should just not happen in food.  I have to say I almost quit then, but I was tired and had a headache and there was a lot of homework to be done.

Long story short.  We ate it.  And we didn’t die.  Period.  Was I happy about it?  No. Did the girls like it?  Yes.  I started the new meal plan for the next three weeks while we ate dinner.

When I plan out our meals I can just walk in the door from work and know what I am going to make.  I can prep some things over the weekend to cut out some weeknight time that could be better suited for homework, or baths, or blog posts.  I am much SANER when I have a meal plan which for me and the girls makes a happier household.

In the end we are none of us perfect.  We are all trying the best we can to do what is right for our bodies, for our health, for our farmers, for our mama earth.

But sometimes $#*& just happens.  Our limbs don’t drop off.  A farmer doesn’t drop dead in the field. The sustainable living police do not knock on your door.  The earth doesn’t stop spinning on it’s axis just because you had one night of Hamburger Helper.

Last Summer Moments.

Just when I had about written off summer, dreaming of the next chapter in this turning year, she gives me one last moment or two to  hold onto.

Fresh lima beans from the farm Saturday.

This And That

We are off to the county fair tonight.  It is a mandatory summer activity.  There will be no time for a real post, but here is a little list of great finds this week.

My package arrived from Camie at Red Gate Gardens today and it included not only coffee and a wonderful note, but two vintage books (post to come tomorrow with pics).  Someday,  I hope to be there in Montana for a visit, but am afraid I might never leave!

My dear, dear friend Lizzie, made me extremely happy tonight with nine, jaw dropping images of James McAvoy.  I’m not sure if you all realize what a huge thing I have for Mr. McAvoy.  I turn into a jelly legged puddle of thirteen year old mush when I watch his movies, especially Becoming Jane.  Sex scenes….who needs them when you can country dance with this look in your eyes, but then came Atonement.

Speaking of which Emmy and I learned a bit of English country dancing last year at the Hearth and Home festival which was quite fun, so much fun that we didn’t want to stop, pout.

I have been lurking a bit too much lately over at Smitten Kitchen with at least four new recipes to try every time I visit.

I found a yummy new wine, Root:1 from Chile.  I will admit publicly that I bought it for the gorgeous bottle, but it was equally gorgeous in taste.  I had the Cabernet Sauvignon and the Sauvignon Blanc.

I bought these almost too cute recipe cards for my sister for her birthday.  I’ve been admiring them on Etsy for awhile, here.

And finally, I have printed out the homemade yogurt recipe from Tasty Kitchen over at the Pioneer Woman.  It seems a bit scary, and we’re buying it relatively inexpensively over at the farm right now, but the girls really love yogurt, so I might have to give it a try.  Anyone successfully bred yogurt in the past?